The Pocket Casts podcast app is now free

• Pocket Casts, a popular podcast app, is now free on Android and iOS. The company has also launched a way of playing your own files within the app, and has launched Pocket Casts Plus, an optional subscription for additional features, the web player and desktop app. Pocket Casts was US$3.99; if you bought the desktop/web app (a one-off $9 fee), you’ll get Plus free for three years.
  • While positive about the mobile app, reaction on social media from those that bought the desktop app (which we imagine is a small minority of users) has been negative - noting that the previous $9 was clearly marked as “no monthly subscriptions” and would be payable “just once”. Owen Grover, the CEO of Pocket Casts, told Podnews that: “We will continue to monitor sentiment closely to ensure we get this right. All of this is new for us too and we appreciate the passion and loyalty of our users, many of whom have been with us for many years.” He’s speaking at OzPod on Thursday 3rd October in Melbourne VIC, Australia.
  
  Aug 16 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.
  • Opinion: It’s the app we use, and is by far the best podcast experience on Android: so good, we bought it twice. It’s here for iOS, and here for Android; the iOS version is awaiting an update to be approved by Apple. Listen to us on Pocket Casts

UPDATE: within 24 hours, the company said that everyone who bought access to the desktop/web apps will get Pocket Casts Plus for life.

• The Daily from the New York Times, which launched Feb 1 2017, has hit a billion total downloads, the company has announced. The Daily now achieves more than two million downloads per episode.

• Spotify has announced the results of their second 'Sound Up’ Podcast Accelerator for Women in Color. Christina Orlando, Janae Burris, Shayla Martin and SK were each awarded US$10,000 to fund their own podcasts. Meanwhile, Paul Vogel, Spotify’s “VP and head of financial planning & analysis, treasury and investor relations” (imagine the business card) said in a conference that podcast audiences on Spotify increased by 50% from Q1 to Q2 2019, and that it has a positive effect on user retention and churn.

• Amazon has announced Amazon Music HD, which, for $5 extra per month, will offer HD songs in lossless FLAC format at “16 bits 44.1kHz sampling”, and “million” of songs in ultra HD (“24 bits at up to 192kHz sampling”). The Verge points out that most phones have a maximum of 24-bit 44.1kHz sound chips anyway, and you’re unlikely to hear the difference using Bluetooth headphones.

• Podcasts in a hotel room: iHeartRadio has done a deal with Hilton hotels, putting podcasts, live radio and music into hotel rooms.

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• Podcasts are booming in Brazil, with the announcement from TV network Rede Global that it has launched a new set of podcasts, which all instantly made Apple’s trending chart.

• The “PodVader” Jay Soderberg has been announced as Executive Producer for Locked On Podcast Network, a daily local sports podcast network. Jay most recently worked with Voxnest and BlogTalkRadio.

• Revolución Network, a Latinx podcast network, has launched in Miami FL, USA. The network consists of 23 podcasters. (hat-tip Vía Podcast)

• The Infinite Dial South Africa study is being announced in a webinar at 8.00am New York Time today, and will be available online shortly afterwards. This will be the first study for the country, and follows similar work in the US, Canada and Australia: the studies are designed to be as comparable as possible.

• Those iTunes “Shows in English” pages we’ve mentioned in the past few days? Yep, also appearing in Russia (благодарю вас, Ilya).

• If you missed out on our early-access code for Podchaser’s new 'social feed’, they’ve just given us 50 more. Use the code 'podnews’ over here if you want in, and follow Podnews here. (Oh, and Podchaser ratings are now in RadioPublic too).

  
  Aug 16 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Hindenburg Journalist 1.81.2282 is out. Among other new features, it supports importing Rødecaster 14-channel files, and BBC folk can relax: it understands Startrack files now.

• JAR Audio explain the process of working with creative agencies to produce branded podcasts.

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Aug 16 2023

Podcast Revenue

• Visualmodo, a web design company, writes an article on how to make money with your podcast.
• PodReacher interviews 25 podcast hosts who try to make their business grow using podcasting.

Aug 16 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.
• Evo Terra notes that live, host-read ad buys, the current gold standard of podcast advertising can’t scale, and is worried about the podcast ad bubble bursting.

Podcasts

Spreaker Prime: Word Balloon Comics Podcast is hosted by Chicago pop culture expert, John Siuntres, where he interviews the creative minds behind comics, TV, film, novels and animation. He’s using Spreaker Prime to make hosting and advertising easier.

The first podcast from a street? Shaping the Future by Regent Street is a new podcast to celebrate the 200th anniversary year of Regent Street in London, which “has hosted and helped shaped so many of the cultural milestones over the years”. It’s hosted by novelist and journalist Elizabeth Day. (Mags Creative / Simplecast)

Glamour and iHeartRadio have launched She makes money moves, which “explores the relationship women have with money.” It’s hosted by Samantha Barry, the Editor of Glamour. (iHeartRadio)